Up or Down? Dow Can’t Decide

By Sam Mamudi

Here’s a fun fact: the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) crossed zero 21 times today before closing up 0.6%. That may seem a lot, but it’s not as much as yesterday, when the index crossed zero 77(!) times — the most since Sept. 18.

It speaks to a market that doesn’t have a clear direction, as does the fact the Dow hasn’t closed up or down by one percentage point or more since Nov. 23, almost two weeks ago, when it was up 1.35%; the last time the Standard & Poor’s 500 index (SPY) finished with a daily move of at least 1% was also Nov. 23.

These small, indecisive moves are just more grist for the mill for those who argue that the market isn’t (at least not yet) freaking out about the Fiscal Cliff.

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Earnings reports, corporate strategies and analyst insights are all part of what moves stocks, and they’re all covered by the Stocks to Watch blog. We also look at macro issues, investor sentiments and hidden trends that are affecting the market. Stocks to Watch gives you the full picture of the U.S. stock markets, all day long.

The blog is written by Ben Levisohn, a former stock trader who has covered financial markets for the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and BusinessWeek.